California to Florida via the Panama Canal. Quite a trip for a retired "mom
and pop" with an eight knot trawler and no crew other than ourselves. It turned
out that with a properly equipped, well found boat and some planning, the trip
was not only possible but fun.

Who are we? We are far from old salts. Well old maybe but not salts. We
have been retired for about two years and have been married for 36 years. Yes,
we are still married after the trip! Our boating experience is about ten years and
two prior boats.

Our present boat is a Kady-Krogen Whale Back 48, "The Right Whale". She is
a full displacement trawler yacht. We have a single engine, a Caterpillar 3208
normally aspirated diesel of 210 Hp. The displacement after full commissioning is
about 35 tons,or 31.25 long tons. The length is 48 feet with a water line length
of 45.5 feet. She has an above water to below water ratio of 2.6, a prismatic
coefficient of 0.6, displacement length ratio of about 270 and is most efficient at a
speed length ratio of about 1.1 to 1.2, (7.5 to 8.25 knots).
The main engine propels the boat and in addition it runs the hydraulic pump
and a high output alternator. The hydraulic pump powers the Wessmar stabilizers
and the bow thruster.

We have equipped the boat for extended duty where the possibility of repair is
remote. For this reason we have several redundant systems including a wing
engine, two autopilots, two VHF radios and two GPS receivers. Prior to
departure we added air conditioning, not necessary but very nice, and we had
below decks shelving installed to increase our effective storage area. We should
also have had new bottom paint but the paint was fairly recent and time got away
from us. More about this later.

Navigation was by GPS plotter, Garmin, and by computer plotter. The
computer is a Macintosh Power Book driven by a Northstar GPS and running
either Navimaq or MaxSea. I found the ability to see the chart with our boat on it
invaluable. The ability to set way points on the Garmin or computer was not only
convenient but faster and more accurate than taking them off the paper charts.
We certainly did have the paper charts on board. They were used primarily to
double check the plotters and for big picture trip planning. The pilot charts,
which show the currents and probable weather for any given month, were also
helpful for trip planning.

Our radar, Furuno 1948, was invaluable. It was vital in avoiding the many
shrimp boats we encountered enroute as well as the many cargo vessels. The
freighters were most thick around the Bay of Panama, shrimpers were active
through much of our route. If I could have squeezed another redundant system
aboard, it would have been a second radar.
Our little forward looking sonar, the Probe, was very helpful especially on the
Carribean side. It was there that I began to feel that ten feet of water is deep!
Seeing the bottom ahead helps you miss the coral heads and prevents going
aground.

The single side band radio along with my ham license helped keep us abreast
of the weather and provided communications to home via telephone patches from
helpful hams. Down the coast of Baja California the Chubasco net was great. We
not only got the weather but they also helped us coordinate with the Mexican
Navy to effect the rescue of an American sport fisher who had lost use of both
engines in high seas. The Mexicans were very professional, and had an English
speaker handling radio communications.
On the marine SSB side we listened to Herbs weather net and to the Papagayo
net as well as others. The ATT high seas telephone stations were also very useful
when we couldn't get a "patch".

We also installed a Furuno dedicated weather fax prior to departure. You can
set it with a timer and it prints a hard copy of the weather charts. It was of great
value, specially when nothing else was available. I became the local fleet
weatherman. Others had their SSB hooked to their computers for weather fax but
they always seemed to forget to turn things on at the appropriate time.

Our main auto pilot is a Comnav 1001, the backup is a Comnav 1420. Both
performed flawlessly. the backup was never needed but was "exercised"
routinely.
The wing engine, which had helped us previously, was never needed on this
trip. It too was 'exercised" regularly.
Other pieces of safety equipment that we fortunately did not need on the trip
were our Shewmon sea anchor and the Givens life raft.

I can not emphasize enough the need for robust ground tackle. We had several
episodes of winds well in excess of 35 knots while at anchor. Our main anchor is
a 75 lb CQR with 300 feet of 7/16 chain.
At anchor the chain is secured to the boat by a spring line of 3/4 inch three
strand nylon. It is attached to a large stainless steel eye just above the waterline.
This line takes the strain off the windlass, acts as a shock absorber and lessens the
amount of chain that I have to put out to get appropriate scope.
Extra long scope is very necessary in shallow water to provide enough chain
weight to give you some catenary and reduce shock loading on the anchor. (I also
employ a so called devil's claw for a chain hook. The standard chain hook doesn't
have a straight pull and reduces the strength of the chain significantly).

Our second bow anchor is a 66 lb Bruce with 40 feet of 3/8 chain and 600 feet
of 3/4 inch three strand nylon. In addition we carry a Fortress FX 37 and a 25 lb
Danforth stern anchor. Each anchor has it's own rode of chain and rope.
Our dingy is a 10 foot Carribe RIB with a 15 Hp Yamaha, both performed
very well. We wished that we had an additional small light dingy that we could
have more easily pulled up on the beach. Perhaps fat dingy wheels would have
helped, but I think they would have just sunk in the sand.

During the trip we had no mechanical or electronic failures other than the
temperature sensor on the Raytheon fish finder.

A word about stabilizers, we have activated fins for stabilization when
underway and booms with flopper stoppers when at anchor. Both systems are a
great help. For part of the trip we buddy boated with another couple who have an
unstabilized 49 foot Victory Tug. In beam seas they would take water up through
the scuppers and flood the aft deck. They also rolled at anchor much more than
we did with our flopper stoppers deployed. For this trip, stabilization is not vital
but it certainly makes things far more comfortable.

Provisioning was not a big problem, suffice it to say that our boat is equipped
with a household type refrigerator freezer and this gave us plenty of freezer
capacity. We were able to buy fresh vegetables and meat through out the trip. We
also ate a lot of fresh fish which we caught along the way.
Toilet paper, paper towels, detergents, etc. are found everywhere. You don't
really have to carry too much with you. ( We still have a case of T. P.
remaining).
We did load up on canned goods before we left. Finding the brands and types
you are accustomed to may be difficult in Central America. We also took lots of
pasta, rice, flour and other staples. We tried to provision so that if the
refrigerator died, the trip could continue. When we arrived in Florida we still
had much of the canned goods that we started with. Supplying along the route was
easier than we had anticipated. Bev even found tonkatsu sauce in Puerto Vallarta
and rice vinegar in Portobello!

We bought a bread maker for the trip and it was well used. It ran off the
inverter with no problem and did not heat up the boat as the oven would have
done. Bev used a lot of pre-mixed packages but also made bread from scratch.
We did run out of yeast and had to borrow until we could find some ashore, then
we had to buy two pound bag!

We cook with propane and although we didn't need to refill our tanks,
propane was available in Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama. Whether the fittings
were standard or not I don't know. We like propane in spite of the possible
dangers. Bev likes to cook with propane better than with an electric cook top, and
you can still cook if the generator goes out.

For trip planning purposes we used the pilot charts, paper charts, and every
book we could get hold of. The books we found most useful were John Raines
"Cruising Ports Florida to San Diego Via Panama", "Charlies Charts of Mexico"
and of Costa Rica, " The Panama Book" by Nancy and Tom Zydler, Nigel
Calder's guide to the North Western Carribean, the Coast Pilot, Tide tables,
Reeds Almanac and many issues of the Commodores Bulletin of the Seven Seas
Cruising Association. Most of our paper charts were reproductions; we got them
from Bellingham Chart Printers.

Immunizations and malaria prophylaxis are not required for this trip. Never
the less we followed the governments recommendations and got vaccinated
against hepatitis C and B as well as typhoid and yellow fever. We took malaria
prophylaxis during and after our stays in Panama, Honduras and Belize. Follow
the current recommendations of the Center for Disease Control.
We also had a rather extensive first aid kit. Being a surgeon, retired, and my
wife Bev a nurse, we made up our own. There are several excellent sources for
kits that advertise in the boating magazines. You should also have a good book on
first aid at sea aboard and have taken at least a Red Cross course on CPR and first
aid.

Spare parts, what to take? I can't give you a list of all that we took, suffice it
to say that we had spares for almost all important systems on the boat. Bev
accused me of having spares for the spares. A good laundry list is found in Raines
book. The list is too long to reproduce here. Likewise the list of tools.
A word of advice, do your own maintenance as much as possible. When you
are "out there" there is frequently no one but you to fix what ever it is. Besides if
it doesn't work you can't hurt it by trying to fix it. That's not to say other
cruisers aren't helpful, they are, but you should know more about your boat and
it's systems than they do.

Another word, use your boat! Don't wait until "the big trip". Get familiar
with anchoring, crummy weather, maintenance, cooking aboard, and getting
along in confined quarters before you go.
A third word, especially to the "Captain". Make the life of your mate a happy
one. Make sure that she or he enjoys the trip. Don't shout, use profanity or abuse
as a method of conveying your requests. If you do insist on being Captain Bligh
your trip will be a short one.
The mate should also know how to run and navigate the ship. She or he will
enjoy the trip more as a participant. And you, dear Captain, can't stand all the
night watches yourself.

Our general plan was to "nickel and dime" our way along. We would run at
night only when there was no decent place to stop. The general plan was a good
one but we did have to make quite a few long hops. The longest was from Salina
Cruz Mexico to Bahia Salina Costa Rica. Bev and I did watch on watch for three
nights. We had thought to have friends or family fly in to help on the long jumps
but it never seemed to work out. It seemed that the only times we got into
weather problems was when we were trying accommodate friends schedules.
Then they still had to leave and we had to do the long hops by ourselves.
Don't sacrifice your good judgement on the altar of someone's schedule, even
your own!

After provisioning the boat we left our home port, Channel Islands Harbor, in
late October of 1997. We bumbled on down to San Diego, California via Santa
Cruz and Catalina Islands.
In San Diego we rendezvoused with our buddy boat, Nelson's Victory, and the
owners Lani and Loren Hart. Unfortunately they were not ready to leave and we
left without them on November 20th. We waited for them again in Ensenada to
no avail. They finally caught up with us in Bahia Santa Maria, more than half
way down the Baja Peninsula. We traveled together from there to the San Blas
Islands on the Carribean side of Panama. From the San Blas Islands they went to
Cartagena , Columbia so we parted ways.

After Nelson's Victory departed for Cartagena we buddied with two sail
boats, Dagmar and Lakota. Having a buddy boat has a lot of advantages,
frequently two heads are better than one. Not only that but it seems to provide
extra security when anchored in out of the way places. In addition it gives you
someone to talk to on those long, lonely, night time passages. It's comforting to
know that there is some one out there beside yourself, someone you can call for
help if it is needed. Loren Hart said he regarded us as a whole boat full of spares!

A word about signing in and out of Mexican ports and in and out of Central
American counties. Don't sweat it. Just relax, follow the rules and don't be in a
hurry. You should obtain your Mexican fishing permits and other paper work
prior to departure if that is to be your first stop. A zarpe is not needed when
coming from the U.S. From there on, when signing in, you must have your
passport, several copies of your crew list and your zarpe. A zarpe is your
departure paper. It tells where you came from and where you intend to go. When
going from one country to the next you need an international rather than national
zarpe. Zarpes are obtained from the Port Captain just prior to departure. Crew
list form are readily available at marine stores near exit ports or you can copy
the forms from one of the books.

The customs and immigration people as well as the harbor masters were all
polite and helpful. If you have at least a few words of Spanish it helps but if you
don't you will still be OK. We did use agents where they were available, if they
weren't too expensive. If you have an agent he will do all of the leg work for
you. We found ships agents well worth the money.

Our trip down the Pacific side of Baja California was uneventful. We were
able to get good weather reports from the Chubasco net. A ham net on the 40
meter band. Ham radio was invaluable to us through out the trip. We got weather
reports, communication with home and companionship from the many hams and
ham nets that we "worked" during the trip. The marine SSB nets were also
helpful, especially the Papagayo net. On marine SSB there are no shore stations
ready to run phone patches nor are there general assistance nets such as are found
in ham radio.
I feel that anyone going on a long voyage in forgien waters should strongly
consider getting their ham ticket. All it takes is a little effort. There are many
classes that can be taken to pass the written exam and with some practice the code
is no great barrier.

Prior to leaving Santa Maria we got word from the Chubasco Net of
impending bad weather so we made the run to Cabo San Lucas. This was our first
overnight run of the trip. Bev and I did four hour watches and found that we
actually enjoyed it. Within 24 hours of our arrival at Cabo the weather
deteriorated and we moved into the marina, (the most expensive on the trip).
About twelve hours later the harbor was closed and all the boats anchored out
were moved into the harbor. They were allowed to anchor or to dock at an
unfinished docking area. The Mexican Gaurda Costa and the Harbor Master were
very friendly and professional.

We had an enforced stay in Cabo San Lucas of six days while a "Blue
Norther" blew itself out. We were forced to shop and eat wonderful local
Mexican foods while we waited. The huachinango, or whole prepared fish, was
wonderful.
The next hurdle was crossing the Sea of Cortez. We decided to go first to Isla
Isabela where Jaque Cousteau filmed one of his specials on the bird and sea life of
this unique island. This is an open ocean crossing of about 250 miles. Another
over nighter, but the trip to the island was shorter than to the mainland, allowing
us to arrive in daylight. We got a favorable weather report from Don the
Chubasco Net weather man and made a run for it. The seas were so nice it was
almost a disappointment. The crossing took 34 hours and we arrived at Isla
Isabella at 1400 hours, with good light for anchoring.
The island was beautiful and we had a pod of humpback whales feeding only a
few feet from the stern of our anchored boat.While overhead we saw Frigate
birds, boobies, long tailed tropical birds and pelicans, to name the few we
recognized.

From Isabella it was a fairly short jump to the mainland, about an eight hour
run to Chacala. Chacala is an open roadstead and fairly rolly. It requires a stern
anchor to keep you pointed into the swell.
Here we learned several lessons. First about stern anchoring. I carefully
shackled the anchor to the chain of our spare rode, took the anchor out in the
dingy and dropped it. Much to my surprise, the chain wasn't shackled to the
nylon rode. I had cleaned and lubricated the shackle before departure and had
forgotten to reattach it. The anchor was retrieved next day when there was
enough light to dive for it. Always check your gear before you use it!

The next morning the dingy which I had tied to the boat was missing. I
thought surely that it had been stolen. But the locals said not so. Not only that but
the painter was gone, it had not been cut. We upped anchor and put to sea, from
the top of the pilot house we soon saw our dink slowly being blown back to Cabo
San Lucas. It turned out that the captain needed lessons in knot tying.
Subsequently we always used two lines for security, and with good knots!
Here we also learned about sand fleas and no seeums, or why you should
always use insect repellant in tropical areas. Those bites took more than a week to
heal.

From Chacala we hopped down the coast to Puerto Vallarta and Marina
Vallarta. Can't say enough good things about Carl the dockmaster. He is an
American who lives permanently in Mexico and is very helpful, as were all of the
people at Marina Vallarta. We spent the Christmas holidays in Puerto Vallarta
and enjoyed it greatly. Bev cooked Christmas dinner in 95 degree heat. We were
in one of the few slips without 220 V outlets. Couldn't run the AC, bummer!
They have many excellent restaurants right in the marina, in addition there is
a large supermercado within easy walking distance, as well as banks with cash
machines. I could get up to 3,000 pesos per day at the current bank exchange
rate.

At the Mexican marinas there are always locals who want to wash your boat
or do varnish work etc. We found them to be good workers, very pleasant and
reasonably priced. We got thoroughly spoiled and loved it.

We left Puerto Vallarta on the fifth of January bound for the next anchorage
at Ipala. As we rounded the infamous Punta Corrientes we heard a Mayday relay.
The relay came from a sailboat, Yellowbird, who had chosen an outside route.
The boat calling Mayday was Diamond Dolphin a fifty foot plus sport fisher. He
had encountered heavy going between Manzanillo and P.V. and had lost the use of
both engines.

With the position given us by Yellowbird we headed out through the
increasing winds toward the disabled sportfisher. At this time I was on the
Chubasco ham net and told them what was going on. The net in turn contacted the
Mexican Navy who promptly got under weigh from Puerto Vallarta. As we
approached the distressed vessel the seas became ever larger and it became
apparent that we were not going to be able to give assistance other than to stand
by if they had to go into the sea. Fortunately for all concerned the Mexican Navy
came to the rescue. We were able to relay the position to the Navy and provide
communications until they came into VHF range.

The Mexicans had an English speaker on the radio and handled themselves in a
very professional manner. When we left the scene they were putting a man aboard to try to get the engines started. The boat owner said that his engineer was
not aboard and that he, the owner, didn't know how to change filters and bleed
his system. His Mexican crewman had taken the dingy to try to get help, when last
we heard he had not been found.

Several things to learn from this episode: learn how to do your own
maintenance, have SSB aboard if you are going out of VHF range, have a 406
EPIRB and life raft on board if all else fails. Don't leave the ship, it is bigger and
can be found more easily.

After Ipala, where we were treated to a what seemed an unending concert of
ranchera music played by the local high school band, the next stop was Bahia
Tenacatita. Tenacatita is famous for its' long "jungle ride" through the
mangroves. Here also is the set where much of McHales Navy was filmed.
As we turned the corner going into the bay I was momentarily distracted
from my watch standing. Bev came up and gave me a big smooch. When I opened
my eyes there was a humpback whale's fin sticking out of the water only a few
feet from the starboard bow. Fortunately the whale avoided us. He dived and then
came up in the wake, We felt no impact and the whale seemed unimpaired. After
I changed my shorts we continued on. Doesn't take long to get in trouble if you
take your eyes off the sea.

Next stop Las Hadas where the movie "Ten" was filmed. We anchored out
near the beautiful old hotel. They were very kind to us and did all of our paper
work at no charge. Just across the bay is Manzanillo. Here we got fuel for the
first time since leaving San Diego. Manzanillo had the least expensive fuel on the
trip, about $0.75 US per gallon.

A word about fuel in Mexico and Central America. We had no problem. We
used our Baja Filter once when we took fuel from a tank pulled by a pickup truck
in Huatulco Mexico, the fuel was clean. We never used the filter when fueling
from a fuel dock or fuel truck. We got no dirt and no water that I was able to
detect.
I do use a Gulf Coast paper towel fuel filter ahead of the Racors that are ahead
of the filter on the engine. I changed paper towels about every hundred to
hundred and fifty engine hours. The Racors and filter on the engine were
changed twice because it seemed like the right thing to do. The vacuum gauges on
the racors were very valuable in helping to determine when to change filters. We
have a flow through electric fuel pump ahead of all the filters. This is invaluable
for priming and helps push fuel through if the vacuum is going up and you are
not able to change filters immediately. It additionally functions as a backup fuel
pump for the engine.

Going South we stopped at several small anchorages as well as Ixtapa,
Acapulco, and Huatulco. All were enjoyable. Acapulco was too metropolitan and
crowded for our taste but the marina staff was very helpful.
In Huatulco we took on a thousand liters of fuel prior to making the long jump
to Costa Rica. The fuel was arranged by the very helpful Port Captain. It was
obtained from the local Pemex station and brought to the boat in a 1000 liter tank
pulled by a pick up truck. Fueling is by gravity flow. We found a small
cockroach in the Baja Filter, other than that the fuel was clean. Fuel under these
circumstances is cash in advance. The guy getting it has to pay the gas station and
adds his markup prior to delivery. You gotta have faith!

At this point we had guests aboard who had a scheduled flight home from
Costa Rica, that, plus our own itch to get going, lead us to leave with the weather
less than ideal. Not a good idea when venturing across the Golfo de Tehuantepec.
There was a low pressure cell in the Gulf of Mexico which usually helps
dampen the strong East to West winds in the Tehuantepec. Unfortunately for us
this was a very deep low and we got caught in a reverse "Tehuantepeccer".

After we left Huatulco the winds built through the night to excess of 35 knots
with seas to match. Not too bad going down wind but when we made our turn at
Salina Cruz we had 15 feet plus on the beam. We put into Salina Cruz for refuge.

Shortly thereafter the port was closed to all traffic other than large freighters.
Salina Cruz is home to a large fleet of shrimpers and is a busy commercial
port. They have no facilities for delicate yachts. We had to get a ships agent to
run the paper work as the Port Captains office only deals with agents. the cost
was $50.00 US.

The port has a traffic control tower that operates on channel six. Since English
is the worlds lingua franca, the controllers spoke limited English. They very
kindly allowed us to anchor in the darsena or outer harbor while the storm blew
itself out. While we were anchored the West wind turned around and blew the
other way in excess of fifty knots for two days. The local Guarda Costa came out
in his launch to check on us twice during the blow. During this time our guests,
who had come to help us on the long passage to Costa Rica, departed. They felt
that they would miss their flight and not get back to work on time if they stayed.

Finally the wind stopped and we were off on the long trek to Costa Rica. After
reading the State Department advisories we had decided to bypass El Salvador,
Nicaragua, and Honduras. (Friends who stopped in Nicaragua were treated well
and enjoyed it). We left Salina Cruz as soon as the port was opened at 1400 hours
on February fourth and arrived in Bahia Salina Costa Rica at midnight on the
seventh. Again Bev and I had done four on and four off. The one "off" slept in
the pilot house so as to be immediately available if there was need.
Fortunately we had a good weather window during most of this leg, but the
Papagayo winds began to blow to about 30 knots not long before we anchored in
Bahia Salinas. Little did we know that this is probably the windiest bay in Costa
Rica. We waited here for three days; when the wind dropped to 20 knots we left.
As soon as we left the bay and got to the next anchorage it was flat calm and we
had the best sleep in about a week!

We next went to Playa del Cocos to sign in to Costa Rica. This was our least
pleasant encounter with Central American officialdom. Costa Rica was our least
favorite country. Most of the anchorages are open bights with a significant swell.
The tides are very high and garbage disposal in many areas consists of throwing
it out at low tide to watch it float away on the next high tide.
Dodging disposable diapers to prevent plugging the raw water intake can get
exciting. It was a large sheet of plastic that got to the generator. Fortunately the
decrease in water in the exhaust was noted immediately, the gen set was shut
down while yours truly went over the side to pull the plastic out of the water
intake. Fortunately there was no harm done.

We got clean fuel at Marina Flamingo just South of Playa Cocos. The place is
quite run down although it is my understanding from the owner that it will be
renovated now that marinas are legal in Costa Rica

The bright note in Costa Rica is the one true marina on it's pacific coast,
Banana Bay Marina in Golfito. Banana Bay can dock about 15 or so boats. It is
operated by an American, first name of Bruce, his second in command is a
"Tico", Fernando. Fernando is a great guy and took us all over Golfito to chase
down the needed officials to get our clearance to Panama.
The Northern Panamanian Islands are quite beautiful and the water is clear.
One must still avoid the prison island of Coiba. The prisoners were supposed to
have been removed but had not been when we passed by in March of 1998.
We heard later that a boater had been killed by escaped prisoners not long
before we were there. They used his own gun which he had not had the courage
to use on them. Either don't take fire arms or be prepared to use them. We didn't
take any. I do have two 25 mm flare guns which I was prepared to use if needed.
Fortunately there was no need.

We decided to visit the Las Perles Islands prior to going to Balboa and
transiting the canal. As we rounded Punta Mala, (well named), we encountered
heavy winds blowing over the narrow and low Isthmus of Panama. The winds,
we estimated, were at least force seven to eight.They and the seas were coming
from just ahead of the port beam. Even though we kept the RPMs up our speed
was reduced to 3.5 to 4 knots. The last forty miles took all night. Why does the
crappy weather always seem to get worse at night?
It was during these conditions that we had our closest call. A moderate sized
freighter was overtaking us on a collision course. The seas were huge and
maneuvering not easy. I called him on sixteen, no response. Again on sixteen and
then on thirteen still no response. He was now close enough that I shined our
450,000 candle power spot light on his bridge, still no response. We then made a
90 degree left turn to avoid collision. He never did respond to any signal.

It is my custom, when there is a question of possible collision with a ship, to
call them on the VHF radio. I want them to know I am there and what they want
me to do to avoid collision. This is especially true when near a port and I don't
know whether they intend to make any sudden course changes. Most ships seem to
answer promptly and seem grateful that I am willing to get out of their way.(It
doesn't matter which is the burdened vessel, I always get out of their way).
We arrived safe and sound in the Perles and anchored in the bay behind Isla
San Jose. We waited there for several days for the wind to die down. Meanwhile
we had to suffer by snorkeling and eating lobster and crab bought from the local
indians. They seemed very happy to see us. When my wife Beverly gave them a
small canned ham and some freshly baked bread they were really in heaven, I
never saw a two pound ham disappear so fast

My sister Merrilyn and her husband Dick had joined us in Costa Rica to enjoy
the trip down and to help with our canal transit. But as it so often happens the
weather had other plans. Because of the weather delays they had to fly home
prior to our transit.
Next stop, Balboa and the Panama Canal. After the wind died down we left the
Las Perles Islands and went straight to Balboa where we got a mooring from the
Balboa Yacht Club. The club is on the bottom floor of a building whose upper
two floors are essentially burned out. This hasn't slowed the club down much.
The food is good, the beer cold and the moorings are cheap. The shore boats
come from the muelle,(moy yay), to pick you up at your boat or to take you and
your groceries or what ever back to the boat. We fueled here too. The price was
high, ($1.43 per US gallon), but they are the only act in town. The fuel is clean
and water free.

In Panama we used Agency Delfino in the form of the owner Pete Stevens.
Pete is a great guy and was of much help. He arranged for us to be admeasured,
did all of the paper work, got us an early slot to go through and got us side tied
to a tug for all but one of the locks. He also got some spare parts for our head out
the back door of customs for us. We otherwise would never have gotten them
prior to departure. His charge to us of $250.00 US seemed a good deal. (He
charges the bigger boats more).

Our trip through the canal cost us about $900.00 US including Pete and all
fees. Our line handlers were extra. Pete also arranged the line handlers and the
rental lines. The line handlers cost $55.00 US each and the lines were $18.00 US.
The lines were 150 feet long 3/4 inch three strand nylon.
We understand that the canal fees have been significantly raised for yachts
since our transit.

The morning of transit the line handlers came early, our pilot and his trainee
arrived a little later. It was with my heart in my mouth that I approached the first
lock. This was my first lock ever, we had never transited a canal before. We went
through the first two up locks with no problem while side tied to a tug. Going up
you follow the freighters, going down they follow you.

As it happens it was the good fairy who prevented my sister and brother in
law from being our line handlers. In the last up lock we were in the center of the
lock, behind the freighter, held in place by our lines and our line handlers. When
the lock doors opened the freighter captain decided to firewall it, he went to full
throttle. As soon as our pilot saw the wall of prop wash coming at us he was
screaming on his radio for them to shut down. When the water hit us I used the
throttle, rudder and bow thruster to help the line handlers hold the boat. We very
nearly hit the wall. We did bend one cleat completely over. The pilot and the line
handlers saved the day. The line handlers held on long enough for the freighter
captain to get the message and shut down his engines. We were literally "saved by
the bell".

In the down locks the freighters are behind you. Gives you quite a thrill. You
know they can't see you and that bulbous bow going up your exhaust pipe is
something you don't want to contemplate.

In the down locks we were again side tied to a tug, but this time our buddy
boat, Nelson's Victory" was in turn side tied to us. In the last down lock they got
their bow line but not the stern line to us as the freighter approached, as you can
imagine they have quite a bow wave. It caught poor Nelson and spun him 90
degrees and pushed him ahead of us where he hit the tug. Fortunately the tugs are
lined with huge rubber fenders. The incident caused more embarrassment than
damage. After bumping the tug Loren got his starboard engine going in reverse
and we were able to reel him in.

When the gates opened we were in the Carribean. We had successfully gone
from one ocean to the other. It gave us and enormous sense of accomplishment.

From the last down lock we were directed to anchor in "the flats" (yacht
anchorage F), where our pilot was picked up by the pilot boat. The line handlers
and the lines were off loaded at the Panama Canal Yacht Club. Back in "the flats"
we relaxed and toasted our accomplishment. (Well, maybe more than one toast.)
A few lessons for the canal: get a real pilot if you can, have professional line
handlers,rent your canal lines, tell your pilot to ask the freighter ahead of you to
go easy on the throttle, ask for a side tie to a tug or at least center lockage and
when locking down always get your stern line on first.

After the canal we turned right and visited Portobello, a beautiful harbor and
the site of the recently restored Spanish customs house. The customs house was
frequently so full of gold that they left the Silver outside on the ground! Here
also are the remains of the Spanish forts that were built to guard the treasure.
The forts were largely torn down at the time of canal construction in order to use
the stones to build the breakwaters for Colon.

The next stop was the San Blas Islands, home of the Kuna indians. The Kunas
are a charming people. They are supposedly the smallest people save for the
Pigmies of Africa. They use cayucas, dug out canoes, for transportation. You will
need to sign in to Kuna Yalla at Porvenir and pay a small fee. You may then visit
these beautiful tropical cays and reefs.

Be careful, the charts are very old. You want to do your moving with the sun
high enough to see the coral. The "Panama Book" was very helpful.The Kunas
will visit you many times to sell you molas or fish, lobster or crab. The molas are
beautiful, the lobster and crab delicious.The water is clear and the diving or
snorkeling is excellent.

I must say a word about bottom cleanliness, not mine, the boat's. I used our
scuba gear in the Las Perles Islands and here in the San Blas Islands to clean
many pounds of barnacles off the bottom of our boat. I also had to use the gear to
cut a line off of the prop when we were in Mexico. If you don't dive at least have
snorkeling gear on board for your underwater tasks. Please get a really good
layer of bottom paint put on and check all your running gear just before you
leave on the trip. We didn't get fresh bottom paint and it cost us.

From the San Blas Islands we departed for Providencia, a small island well off
the coast of Nicaragua. The island is a Colombian possession. Approach the
anchorage from the North and use the well marked channel. The island is
surrounded by reefs and this is the only safe way in. We took another route
suggested in a book and nearly went aground. If it had not been for the warning
of one of the local dive boat captains, we would have had a major grounding. As
it was we went through water only six feet deep. (We draw five and one half
feet).

Once in the harbor we were taken in hand by agent Busch. He was of great
help and very reasonable. The Island is small and charming, as are the people.
They speak Spanish and Carribean English. Many are descendents of English
pirates. We had no problems leaving our dingy tied to the dock and unsupervised.

From here we had to go through the islands and reefs off the coasts of
Nicaragua and Honduras to Roatan. The charts are from a British survey from
1833. We didn't run at night through this area. We stopped at Cayo Media Luna
and Cayos Vivorillo. We saw a fairly recent wreck of a sailing yacht on one of
the reefs. You must be alert and be aware of the strong currents. We found the
charts surprisingly accurate but the islands and reefs may be up to a mile or so
from their GPS position. Be careful!

On arrival at Coxen's Hole, Roatan, we contacted agent Beatman on channel
16. He advised us for security and convenience to stay at Paradise Island Resort.

This is the only local dockage where fuel may be obtained easily, by tanker truck,
and that has 220 dock power. Roatan is hot. We wanted A. C. but didn't want to
run the generator 24 hours a day. We went to the dock. To get to the dock you
must go through a small opening in the reef and through a lagoon with several
coral heads. Beatman guided us through. The reef opening is well marked by the
wreck of a shrimper who missed.

After several nice days at this beautiful island it was time to go. We had to be
in Florida before June first for insurance reasons so had to cut our visit to Belize
short and to eliminate the Rio Dulce completely. We only made it to Lighthouse
Reef. In the northern anchorage we set the hook in 18 feet of water on the only
large sand patch the we could find. We put out our usual ten to one scope. This
left us with the stern only a hundred feet or so from the exposed coral reef.

We weren't worried because two weather sources had predicted winds of ten
knots or less and we planned to leave in the morning as soon as there was enough
light to see the coral. Silly us. That night the wind piped up to over 35 knots,
verified by the anemometer of our new buddy boat, Dagmar. The crews of both
boats stayed up all night watching the reef, waiting for their anchors to slip. They
didn't. None the less, as soon as it was light we put a second anchor down, then
we could sleep. The 10 knot wind blew at over thirty for three days. God bless
the heavy ground tackle!

After three days of purgatory, the wind dropped to about 15 knots and we left
for Mexico's Puerto Aventuras.
More beam seas! In case you hadn't guessed the trade winds blow in the
Carribean. If you are headed North or South this means that you have beam seas.
We had them from Panama to the Gulf of Mexico when we turned toward
Florida.
Puerto Aventuras was a welcome sight. The dock master, Juraldo, was of
great help. The resort is beautiful and has great restaurants. It was from here that
we visited the Mayan ruins of Copal, Coba and Chicinitza. They are not to be
missed.

After Aventuras it was a fifty hour run to Key West and the end of our
adventure.

At this time Bev and I are visiting children and Grandchildren while the boat
is getting the maintenance it needs after seven months of continuous use. We will
then explore the East Coast of the U. S. and then perhaps Europe. Stay tuned!